Cloud Collaboration: Everything You Need to Know

Cloud collaboration is a type of enterprise collaboration that enables employees to collaborate on documents and other data types that are stored off-premises and outside of the company firewall

Fremont, CA: Employees share, edit, and collaborate on projects using a cloud-based collaboration platform. Cloud collaboration allows two or more people to work on a project simultaneously.

A cloud collaboration project starts when one user creates a file or document and then grants access to specific people; for example, the project creator may share a link to the project that allows others to view and edit it. Users can make changes to the document at any time, including when multiple employees are considering and working on it simultaneously. All changes are saved and synced, ensuring that all users see the exact version of the project.

As vendors compete for customers, cloud collaboration has become more sophisticated. For example, it is typical for a collaboration tool to include a feature that allows project participants to see who else is viewing the document and communicate with one another while working, such as comments or a chat function.

Users can frequently set up email alerts for when a file is changed using tools. These and other functions contribute to improved worker efficiency and productivity.

Employee motivations for using cloud collaboration tools vary, but the impetus is frequently that workers find the cloud tool superior to an older tool in some way. For example, employees may believe that the cloud collaboration tool is faster, more attractive, and easier to use.

Employees' desire for a better collaboration tool may lead them to select and use a device without obtaining IT approval, a practice known as shadow IT. IT departments should be on the lookout for this, but they should also be open to the benefits of a cloud collaboration tool on group productivity.